selfish – Praying Pint

30.v. “I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,”

Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Psalms 120:6  Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace.

Romans 12:18    If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

James 3:16-18   For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.  But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.  And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Romans 14:19    So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

Hebrews 12:14   Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

2 Timothy 2:22-24   So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.  Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.  And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,

Galatians 5:22   But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

James 1:19-20    Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Ephesians 4:1    I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

“The verse which precedes it speaks of the blessedness of ‘the pure in heart, for they shall see God.’ It is well that we should understand this. We are to be ‘first pure, then peaceable.’ Our peaceableness is never to be a compact with sin, or an alliance with that which is evil. We must set our faces like flints against everything which is contrary to God and his holiness. That being in our souls a settled matter, we can go on to peaceableness towards men.” (Spurgeon)

We commonly think of this peacemaking work as being the job of one person who stands between two fighting parties. This may be one way this is fulfilled; but one can also end a conflict and be a peacemaker when they are party to a conflict; when they are the offended or the offender. (Guzik)

We will always have the opportunity to offer peace. It can be an encouragement to be peaceful to someone who has been offended, hurt, chided, etc….. and is not at peace about it. Our encouragement might be to help them see it from another view. It might be to just let them know we understand and encourage them to be peaceable in their situation for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ. Last year I watched unrestrained riots, looting, and destruction. Those in the leadership of these cities, in the guise of trying to bring peace, tried to defend allowing these actions to go unchecked or stopped. This by all means is not being a peacemaker. It is weakness and cowardly. This same mindset would allow a person to be raped if the offender seemed to have a reason for their offense. Utter foolish thinking and leadership. Being a peacemaker may mean we will have to jump in and restrain during an offense. Protecting the weak or outnumbered or overpowered is also being a peacemaker.

Discernment is critical. When you hear what is proclaimed through social media and other media news outlets on their take on what brings peace, rest assured they are basing it on false worldly ideas that run contrary to Scripture. Peace is never obtained by divisiveness. What they are proclaiming may make worldly sense and may even sound like it could be right. This is why it is critical to have God’s Word in your life, written on your heart, mind, and soul. How else will you be able to discern worldly from godly? When there is no acknowledgment of God, Jesus Christ, and Scripture, people will do what seems right in their own eyes. Be a workman of God who is able to rightly divide the Word of Truth from worldly passions and ideas from what is right and wrong. Peacemakers must be rooted firmly in Jesus Christ, and continually learn more and more understanding and knowledge from God’s Word, with a desire to learn and apply it. Discernment will not come to those who are not seeking it.

26.u. “Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things”

Psalms 119:33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. Confirm to your servant your promise, that you may be feared. Turn away the reproach that I dread, for your rules are good. Behold, I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life!

“The general desire expressed in this division is that for guidance. It is not an appeal for direction in some special case of difficulty, but rather for the clear manifestation of the meaning of the will of God.” (Morgan) Without this understanding, the psalmist could not follow the desire of his transformed heart. We need the understanding to persevere in faith, obedience, humbleness, and loving-kindness. Spurgeon said God’s Word reveals the majesty of God and convinces the heart of His power, glory, grace, mercy, and love. How sad is it to have a heart to read God’s Word and not a desire to understand and know God more through it, or how to apply, or how to glorify and honor Him? How sad is it to be distracted away from it so that our desires are shamefully shallow for things of God and amazingly deep for things of this world without a care if it honors or glories Him? We certainly do not need instruction in the way of sin. We do, however, need instruction in righteousness, holiness, and knowledge, and understanding of God and things of God. When our heart is inclined toward God’s Word more than things of the flesh or this world, worldly stuff will not find a place of rest in your heart to breed covetousness. Do I cherish God’s Word more than what the world has to offer? Do I fear things of this world more than trusting in God’s power, plans, and will? How many days are wasted on worthlessness? How many are unable to turn their eyes away from what the world deems important? Technology, modern media, social media outlets, and entertainment technology sets before us an endless ocean of worthlessness to occur not only in our eyes and ears but also in our hearts and minds. This world will try to tell you what is worthy, important, to fear, to be anxious about, what to watch, what to read, what to buy, what to think, what to do, how to be happy, how to be rich, how to find purpose, how to be satisfied, etc….. Most of it is foolishness, rubbish, and a distraction away from things of God. They are not good, they do not last, they help no one else, they build no faith, hope, or love, they distract, temp, and carry us away, and they have nothing to do with Jesus Christ and His honor and glory. We have a natural tendency toward the worthless and must cultivate a heart toward the pricelessness of the Godly. You, we, have control over what we allow into our hearts, minds, and soul. We intentionally choose. We make these choices every day. We choose – covet, lust, fear, lies, anger, pride, greed, just as we choose to neglect and become complacent in things of God. We choose worldly or Godly. We choose to spend time in God’s Word or not. We choose to want to be led by Him, to honor Him, to glorify Him. These choices happen hundreds/thousands of times each day. Ask God to show and give you discernment between worthless things of this world (which includes fear of whatever this world deems us to be fearful of) and things that will honor and glorify Him. Asking is the first intentional choice toward God-honoring living. Humbly and faithfully wanting to be led is an intentional choice that will fill the moments of each day like a refreshing rain to a barren dry land.

26.a “This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.”

2 Corinthians 12:19 Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your upbuilding, beloved. For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.

Galatians 5:15    But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

Galatians 5:19-21   Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,  idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,  envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 4:31-32   Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

James 3:14-16    But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.  This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.

Proverbs 16:28    A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.

Romans 1:29   They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,

The purpose of God’s Word is not to make us squirm, but to bring us to our senses, to help us rid ourselves of worldly influences, to cancel the narcotic effects of worldly pleasures/desires, to set our feet on solid ground, to light the path we are to walk, and to give us discernment between right and wrong, truth and false, good and bad, eternal and temporal, heaven and hell, Holy and unholy, Godly and godly, etc….When there is neglect or lacking desire for His Word our hearts will take on and be filled with what our culture and society think is right in its own eyes. We should not think we are immune to the troubles affecting the Corinthian church. When God’s Word is being neglected all sorts of unholy thoughts and actions will manifest in our lives. Our hearts, minds, and souls will be filled with something. We get to choose what that is. Intentionally choose to be filled to overflowing with His Word, the Grace, Love, and Mercy of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit for His honor and glory.

21.q. “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”

1 Corinthians 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.

1 Peter 3:8-9   Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

Romans 12:16  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

James 3:13-18   Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.  But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.  This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.  For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.  But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.  And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Ephesians 4:31   Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Romans 16:17   I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions

Psalms 133:1    Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!

What does it mean to have or be in unity? (Harmony, cooperation, agreement, solidarity, peace, cohesion, wholeness) What does it mean to not have or be out of unity? (conflict, strife, friction, disagreement, war, dispute, controversy, quarreling) We have all seen or been in occasion to witness unity and as well, disunity. If you think back to those times it is easy to see that when you were part of unity, what you were part of was fulfilling and gave meaning and purpose. Each day was looked forward to, to be part of. People seemed to be determined to set aside their personal biases, desires, and wants for the greater good of the whole. There was no one stirring up division. There was no one casting doubt. There was no one whining.

We also have been part of a group that did not have harmony. Every day was a chore to face. Friction, discontent, bickering, and controversy at the end of the day led to mental and physical exhaustion. There always seemed to be someone to stir the pot of conflict or someone who would throw gas on a little ember. These people mostly stood in the background and never exposed themselves but rather moved on the fringes and would do their work little by little.

Paul was made aware of the present status of the Corinthian church. It could have been by a delegation sent to inquire about questions they were facing. It could have been by messenger or letter. Paul had to have been broken-hearted to hear or read of what the congregation had come to. We know by this verse that there was disunity and rather than address the issues causing it he addresses the real issue which was the disunity its self.

Unity takes effort, time, patience, love, grace, mercy, and at times allowing yourself to be wronged. We all like to be in unity and cooperation but do we really work at it. We can clearly see what happens when there is no effort given. Sometimes we may think unity and compromise is the other person bending to our way of thinking and us giving no ground. Certainly, in the essentials of the Christian faith, there is no room for compromise. Most issues are not about the essentials they are about the non-essentials. These cause more expressed division and conflict than there should be.

We need to keep our minds clear of the examples we see in government officials, corporations, and many others who act as though they are 2-year-olds throwing temper tantrums. These leaders are not trying to restore unity but rather get people to only think their way, do it their way, speak their way. They give no room for discussion, differing opinions, or debate. We see it so much that it appears this is how people are to act. How is anything ever accomplished when the maturity of 2-year-olds is the guiding principle for creating unity? It won’t happen and neither should this behavior and thinking be allowed in our minds to affect our church and witness to an unsaved world.

16.d. “This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly and unspiritual.”

Philippians 2:4  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Romans 13:13     Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.

1 Peter 2:1-2    So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.  Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation

James 3:14-16     But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.  This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.  For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

2 Corinthians 12:20     For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.

Unity is the goal, “Like-minded”, “having the same love”, “one purpose”, “On mind”. What comes in-between members, families, and churches that cause a lack of unity. The list is long. Pride, envy, jealousy, greed, selfish-ambition, quarreling, slander, conceit, hostility, anger, etc…… are all present in the worldly realm and should not be present in the church. When we were born again we became new creatures, a new creation. During our growth from an infant believer into a mature believer, we will encounter these worldly attributes in ourselves as well as others. The Holy Spirit will bring these to light within us as we continue to grow in our walk with the Lord. I don’t care how mature you are, there is always going to be something the Holy Spirit will bring to light in your life that is not in line with honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ. We need to be mindful of worldly influences. We need to be able to identify that which is of this world and at odds with living godly lives. The church is made up of Christians both new and old to the faith. Learning to live in harmony with one another requires each of us to ensure we are seeking unity and not being influenced by how the world thinks we should react to certain situations, comments, people, etc…. When we stay in God’s Word we will find peace, comfort, and strength to identify and keep out worldly influences. Don’t you wonder how many divisions have taken place just because of pride, anger, gossip, slander, conceit, greed, jealousy, selfish-ambition, and envy? Ask God to reveal what He sees in your heart so that you can confidently know you are living your life full of the Spirit and honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ in all you think, say, and do.

He will wipe away every tear

“No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the LORD.”

Exodus 1:8  Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.”

Psalms 10:2     In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.

Psalms 83:3-4     They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against your treasured ones.  They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!”

Proverbs 1:11    If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason;

Numbers 22:6    Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

Job 5:13    He catches the wise in their own craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.

Proverbs 16:25    There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

1 Corinthians 3:18-20     Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.  For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,  and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”

James 3:15-18    This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.  For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.  But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.  And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

In the change of one King all the benefits of Joseph and the Israelites was forgotten. In a short time, going from being found in favor to being treated ruthlessly, shrewdly, and as slaves. Can you imagine what this change would do to everyday life? A change so fast and dramatic that you can’t even think it possible but yet there it is. You feel as though you are living in the blessings of God and then in a moment it all changes.

When I was 21 I was working as a plumber in a house under construction. At 8:00 that Saturday morning a colleague went to light his torch and there as an explosion and fire due to a gas leak in the house. We were both burned severely. (In a moment my life changed) I was able to return to work after 6 months. Some might say how unfortunate to have this happen, yet I know it was the best thing ever in my life, for within a year and 11 days later it brought me to saving grace knowledge of forgiveness and redemption through Jesus Christ. It did seem bad but God used it for good.

Another time I lost my job after 20 years. I was so confused, lost, and defeated. (In a moment my life changed) Looking back I can see how good this was for me for God needed to show me that I was not my job. My identity was in being His child not in the title I held. My job was what I did and not who I am. I am a child of the King. He did many things during this time to confirm His loving hand and presence in my life. These and more trials have come and gone.

Did any of these seem good at the time – no.

Was this time easy – no.

Did my current state of normal change – yes.

Do doubts attack my faith – yes

Can I look back and see God’s hand in all of it – yes.

Did God ever leave me alone – no.

I guess what I am trying to get at is that all things work together for good to them called according to His purpose and plans. I don’t understand it but I know it to be true. I have grown in my trust, faith, reliance, worship, obedience, because of what has happened and where He leads me. I find Him opening up understanding to scriptures and knowledge of Him. He allows me to see His hand at work and as well exposes the work of satan in this world.

He feeds my soul and breaths hope that overshadow my doubts and concerns. I do not have to know the reason behind that which I deem bad, untimely, hurting, overwhelming, crushing, traumatic, shattering, terrible and devastating, for God is in control, He loves me, He will never leave me or forsake me, He will guard me, He will lead me, and in Him and His hands I find peace and rest knowing that all things work together for good to them called according to His purpose. A trial or trouble placed in the hands of God will bring rest and peace to the heart and soul and mind.

Remember here will come a time, in a moment and blink of an eye, when Christ will return and this short vapor of life will leave and eternity starts and where every tear will be wiped away and we will be in His presence forever.